GLOBAL FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN WITH HEARING LOSS

After a year of planning and preparation the GFCHL launched its two-year proprietary training program in auditory-verbal therapy AVT in 2024 in collaboration with the University of Nairobi. This program helps to address the significant shortage of local AVT expertise in Kenya that families need to help their young children fit with hearing aids and cochlear implants learn to listen and speak. The Kenyan participants have committed to a series of in-country GFCHL training workshops over the next two years to learn from the GFCHL AVT curriculum and build their knowledge. Online training is provided between in-country workshops by the GFCHL team. The participants who complete the full curriculum will receive certificates from the GFCHL and University of Nairobi. They will be able to provide critical AVT services to families and also help train others in Kenya to make the benefits exponential and sustainable. The GFCHL conducted two 2-week training workshops in June and November 2024 to begin this program.

The GFCHL continued its collaboration with the Hospital for Children Eye ENT and Rehabilitation Services CHEERS in Nepal. The multi-year initiative intends to demonstrate how the full Continuum of Care from infant screening to habilitation services can be implemented in a low resource country to help babies and very young children with hearing loss to listen and talk. Such services and expertise are extremely limited in Nepal. There is also low awareness for that potential developmental outcome among families in the country. Both Nepali professionals and community ear health workers are engaged in this comprehensive program. In May 2024 the GFCHL professional training team conducted its third 2-week training workshop to continue teaching the GFCHLs curriculum in pediatric audiology and auditory verbal therapy to a cohort of 20 Nepali community ear health workers and audiologists. Families of children with hearing loss participated in the practicum sessions and attended a Family seminar. In addition we also conducted an outreach seminar at a maternity hospital for about 50 nurses pediatricians and other front line workers to inform them about pediatric hearing loss newborn hearing screening and the interventions available to address the condition. The GFCHL Executive Director also traveled to Nepal separately from the training programs for planning meetings with partners to advance relationships and to explore local invitations for additional collaborations.